High performance engineering polymers (HPEPs) offer a wide variety of key property requirements in molded articles including high mechanical strength, durability, toughness, chemical resistance and high temperature performance, among others. One of the most severe limitations to the use of high performance engineering polymers, such as liquid crystal polymers (LCPs), is the current high price of such polymers. It would be very desirable if improvements were made in HPEP compositions to take advantage of the many physical properties and overcome the price disadvantage.
In the past, various fillers and reinforcing agents have been added to HPEPs to reduce the cost and reinforce the polymer matrix. Fillers and/or reinforcing agents that have been added include glass fibers, asbestos, graphitic carbon fibers, amorphous carbon fibers, synthetic polymeric fibers, aluminum fibers, steel fibers, silica, clays, talc, mica, polytetrafluoroethylene, among others, as has been reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,548,039. While fillers tend to reduce the overall cost of articles made from the HPEP blends, their inclusion usually involves a concomitant reduction in mechanical properties. Thus, there is a significant need that exists for new high performance engineering polymer compositions that have superior physical properties, yet without high cost. There is also a need for further improvements in HPEP compositions.